Governess and nurses in the Greco-Latin world. Presences and absences of the feminine in a historical-pedagogical key

Abstract

Constructing a pluralistic history requires building bridges with other histories, such as those of women, education, and pedagogy. Combining these perspectives can facilitate the recovery of educational figures unknown in the historiographical canons of both past and present. Based on a history of pedagogical ideas, this paper proposes a framework for historical writing to help counteract widespread androcentrism. Breastfeeding and infant care have historically been activities imposed on two types of women: wet nurses and governesses. The assignment of their social roles was established by educational thinkers in classical Greece and Rome based on a social order presumed to have existed throughout history. But the invisibility of women’s presence can no longer be tolerated in any discipline; therefore, it is necessary to explore other avenues, abandoning redundant narratives of the male hero or the misogynistic writer. Instead, this paper proposes a situated narrative that highlights the presence of women in the history of ancient culture.